Roberto De Zerbi made an interesting choice on Sunday, which indicates that the recent reports regarding the next Tottenham Hotspur captain may not be correct.
With Cristian Romero having departed the club, and with the new campaign now just five days away, Spurs are soon expected to confirm their new club captain.
Earlier this summer, reports suggested that James Maddison is expected to be announced as the next Tottenham captain, with the attacking midfielder having demonstrated his leadership skills since arriving at Spurs three years ago.
However, some Spurs fans have questioned if Maddison’s injury issues could disqualify him from the captaincy, and it appears that De Zerbi may be thinking along the same lines.
Roberto De Zerbi’s latest decision suggests Micky van de Ven or Pedro Porro may be named Tottenham captain
Maddison was one of several senior players to start Sunday’s friendly against Hoffenheim at Hotspur Way, alongside Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, Kevin Danso, Mateus Fernandes, and Pape Sarr.
However, interestingly, the attacking midfielder was not the one wearing the armband. Instead, the player who led the side out was Davies, who found the back of the net in the 2-2 draw.
De Zerbi’s decision against Hoffenheim suggests the England international is not at the forefront of his mind as a captaincy option, with the Italian potentially leaning towards one of Pedro Porro or Micky van de Ven.
It also perhaps serves as further evidence that Davies will be part of Spurs’ leadership group, even though he may not play many matches.
Van de Ven has already sent a captaincy hint
On signing a new long-term contract with Tottenham, Van de Ven admitted last week that he now has more of a leadership role at the club.
That may be a hint that the Dutchman could be announced as the new skipper, but he too has had more than his fair share of injury issues over the last two seasons.
It remains to be seen who leads the side out at Brentford on Sunday, with none of Van de Ven, Porro or Maddison having featured much in pre-season.
Archie Gray was once again handed the armband in Saturday’s clash against Hoffenheim, and if he gets the nod to start over Porro at right-back against the Bees, the 20-year-old may well be captain for the day.